Nigeria

text

<p>In ancient and pre-colonial times, the area of present-day Nigeria was occupied by a variety of ethnic groups with different languages and traditions. These included large Islamic kingdoms such as Borno, Kano, and the Sokoto Caliphate dominating the north, the Benin and Oyo Empires that controlled much of modern western Nigeria, and more decentralized political entities and city states in the south and southeast. In 1914, the British amalgamated their separately administered northern and southern territories into a Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria. <br><br>Nigeria achieved independence from Britain in 1960 and transitioned to a federal republic with three constituent states in 1963 under President Nnamdi AZIKIWE. This structure served to enflame regional and ethnic tension, contributing to a bloody coup led by predominately southeastern military officers in 1966 and a countercoup later that year masterminded by northern officers. In the aftermath of this tension, the governor of Nigeria’s Eastern Region, centered on the southeast, declared the region independent as the Republic of Biafra. The ensuring civil war (1967-1970), resulted in more than a million deaths, many from starvation. While the war forged a stronger Nigerian state and national identity, it contributed to long-lasting mistrust of the southeast’s predominantly Igbo population. Wartime military leader Yakubu GOWON ruled until a bloodless coup by frustrated junior officers in 1975. This generation of officers, including Olusegun OBASANJO, Ibrahim BABANGIDA, and Muhammadu BUHARI, who would all later serve as president, continue to exert significant influence in Nigeria to the present day. <br><br>Military rule predominated until the first durable transition to civilian government and adoption of a new constitution in 1999. The elections of 2007 marked the first civilian-to-civilian transfer of power in the country's history. National and state elections in 2011 and 2015 were generally regarded as credible. The 2015 election was also heralded for the fact that the then-umbrella opposition party, the All Progressives Congress, defeated the long-ruling (since 1999) People's Democratic Party and assumed the presidency, marking the first peaceful transfer of power from one party to another. Presidential and legislative elections in 2019 and 2023 were deemed broadly free and fair despite voting irregularities, intimidation, and violence. The government of Africa's most populous nation continues to face the daunting task of institutionalizing democracy and reforming a petroleum-based economy whose revenues have been squandered through decades of corruption and mismanagement. In addition, Nigeria faces increasing violence from Islamic terrorism, largely in the northeast, large scale criminal banditry, secessionist violence in the southeast, and competition over land and resources nationwide.</p>

text

Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Benin and Cameroon

text

10 00 N, 8 00 E

text

Africa

text

about six times the size of Georgia; slightly more than twice the size of California

text

853 km

text

varies; equatorial in south, tropical in center, arid in north

text

southern lowlands merge into central hills and plateaus; mountains in southeast, plains in north

text

natural gas, petroleum, tin, iron ore, coal, limestone, niobium, lead, zinc, arable land

text

2,188 sq km (2017)

text

Niger river mouth (shared with Guinea [s], Mali, Benin, and Niger) - 4,200 km<br><br><strong>note:</strong> [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

text

Lake Chad Basin, Lullemeden-Irhazer Aquifer System

text

largest population of any African nation; significant population clusters are scattered throughout the country, with the highest density areas being in the south and southwest, as shown in this population distribution map

text

periodic droughts; flooding

text

the Niger River enters the country in the northwest and flows southward through tropical rainforests and swamps to its delta in the Gulf of Guinea

text

Hausa 30%, Yoruba 15.5%, Igbo (Ibo) 15.2%, Fulani 6%, Tiv 2.4%, Kanuri/Beriberi 2.4%, Ibibio 1.8%, Ijaw/Izon 1.8%, other 24.9% (2018 est.)

note

<strong>note:</strong> Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, is composed of more than 250 ethnic groups

text

English (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo (Ibo), Fulani, over 500 additional indigenous languages

text

Muslim 53.5%, Roman Catholic 10.6%, other Christian 35.3%, other 0.6% (2018 est.)

text

2.39% (2025 est.)

text

33.56 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

text

9.42 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

text

-0.24 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

text

largest population of any African nation; significant population clusters are scattered throughout the country, with the highest density areas being in the south and southwest, as shown in this population distribution map

text

15.946 million Lagos, 4.348 million Kano, 3.875 million Ibadan, 3.840 million ABUJA (capital), 3.480 million Port Harcourt, 1.905 million Benin City (2023)

text

20.4 years (2018 est.)

note

<strong>note:</strong> data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49

text

993 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

text

4.59 children born/woman (2025 est.)

text

2.23 (2025 est.)

text

0.38 physicians/1,000 population (2023)

text

8.9% (2016)

text

24.4% (2021 est.)

text

67.6% (2018 est.)

note

<strong>note:</strong> due to prolonged insecurity concerns, some parts of states, including Borno state, were not sampled

text

urban air and water pollution; rapid deforestation; soil degradation; loss of arable land; water, air, and soil pollution from oil spills

text

varies; equatorial in south, tropical in center, arid in north

text

56 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

text

286.2 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

text

federal presidential republic

text

36 states and 1 territory*; Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Federal Capital Territory*, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara

text

mixed system of English common law, Islamic law (in 12 northern states), and traditional law

text

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

text

18 years of age; universal

note

<strong>note:</strong> the president is chief of state, head of government, and commander-in-chief of the armed forces

text

Accord Party or ACC <br>Africa Democratic Congress or ADC  <br>All Progressives Congress or APC <br>All Progressives Grand Alliance or APGA <br>Labor Party or LP <br>New Nigeria People’s Party or NNPP <br>Peoples Democratic Party or PDP <br>Young Progressive Party or YPP 

text

ACP, AfDB, ATMIS, AU, C, CD, D-8, ECOWAS, EITI (compliant country), FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LCBC, MIGA, MINURSO, MNJTF, MONUSCO, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNISFA, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

text

1 October 1960 (from the UK)

text

Independence Day (National Day), 1 October (1960)

text

<strong>description:</strong> three equal vertical bands of green (left side), white, and green<br><br><strong>meaning:</strong> green stands for the country's forests and natural resources, and white for peace and unity

text

eagle

text

green, white

note

<strong>note:</strong> Parliament voted in 2024 to revert to the former national anthem used from 1960 to 1978  

text

largest African market economy; enormous but mostly lower middle income labor force; major oil exporter; key telecommunications and finance industries; susceptible to global energy price shocks; regional leader in critical infrastructure; primarily agrarian employment

note

<b>note:</b> data in 2021 dollars

note

<b>note:</b> annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

note

<b>note:</b> data in 2021 dollars

text

$187.76 billion (2024 est.)

note

<b>note:</b> data in current dollars at official exchange rate

note

<b>note:</b> annual % change based on consumer prices

note

<b>note:</b> figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

text

cassava, yams, maize, oil palm fruit, rice, taro, bananas, vegetables, sorghum, groundnuts (2023)

note

<b>note:</b> top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

text

crude oil, coal, tin, columbite; rubber products, wood; hides and skins, textiles, cement and other construction materials, food products, footwear, chemicals, fertilizer, printing, ceramics, steel

text

2.4% (2024 est.)

note

<b>note:</b> annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

text

113.35 million (2024 est.)

note

<b>note:</b> number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

note

<b>note:</b> % of labor force seeking employment

note

<b>note:</b> % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

text

40.1% (2018 est.)

note

<b>note:</b> % of population with income below national poverty line

note

<b>note:</b> index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality

note

<b>note:</b> % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

note

<b>note:</b> personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities

note

<b>note:</b> balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

note

<b>note:</b> balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

text

USA 10%, Spain 9%, France 8%, Netherlands 7%, India 6% (2023)

note

<b>note:</b> top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

text

crude petroleum, natural gas, gold, fertilizers, cocoa beans (2023)

note

<b>note:</b> top five export commodities based on value in dollars

note

<b>note:</b> balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

text

China 26%, Singapore 14%, Belgium 8%, India 6%, USA 4% (2023)

note

<b>note:</b> top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

text

refined petroleum, tanks and armored vehicles, wheat, plastics, cars (2023)

note

<b>note:</b> top five import commodities based on value in dollars

note

<b>note:</b> holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars

note

<b>note:</b> present value of external debt in current US dollars

text

nearly 70 federal government-controlled national and regional TV stations; all 36 states operate TV stations; several private TV stations; cable and satellite TV subscription services are available; network of federal government-controlled national, regional, and state radio stations; roughly 40 state government-owned radio stations; about 20 private radio stations; transmissions of international broadcasters are available; transition to digital completed in three states in 2018 (2019)

text

.ng

text

5N

text

50 (2025)

text

15 (2025)

note

<strong>note:</strong> as of the end of 2018, there were only six operational locomotives in Nigeria primarily used for passenger service; the majority of the rail lines are in a severe state of disrepair and need to be replaced

text

Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN): Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy (includes Coast Guard), Nigerian Air Force<br><br>Ministry of Interior: Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC); Ministry of Police Affairs: Nigeria Police Force (NPF) (2025)

note

<strong>note 1: </strong>the NSCDC is a paramilitary agency commissioned to assist the military in the management of threats to internal security, including attacks and natural disasters<br><br><strong>note 2: </strong>some states have created local security forces in response to increased violence, insecurity, and criminality that have exceeded the response capacity of federal government security forces, but official security forces remained the constitutional prerogative of the federal government; in 2023, the federal government began deploying thousands of "agro rangers" across 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory to help safeguard farmland and mediate conflicts, especially in areas hit by farmer-herder clashes

text

information varies; estimated 140,000 active Armed Forces (2025)

text

the military's inventory consists primarily of imported weapons systems from a range of countries, including Brazil, China, France, Russia/former Soviet Union, South Korea, T&uuml;rkiye, and the US; Nigeria is developing a defense-industry capacity, including small arms, light armored personnel vehicles, and small-scale naval production (2025)

text

18-25 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription (2025)

text

180 Sudan/South Sudan (UNISFA); 200 Gambia (ECOWAS); 150 Guinea-Bissau (ECOWAS) (2025)

note

<strong>note:</strong> Nigeria has committed an Army combat brigade (approximately 3,000 troops) to the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), a regional counter-terrorism force comprised of troops from Benin, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger; MNJTF conducts operations against Boko Haram and other terrorist groups operating in the general area of the Lake Chad Basin and along Nigeria's northeast border; national MNJTF troop contingents are deployed within their own country territories, although cross‐border operations are conducted periodically

text

the Nigerian military is responsible for defending against external aggression, maintaining the country's territorial integrity, securing national borders, participating in international peacekeeping and other security missions, suppressing insurrection, and aiding civil authorities in restoring order, as well as other duties such as providing humanitarian assistance; its primary concerns are internal and maritime security; in the northeast part of the country, the military is conducting operations against the Boko Haram (BH) and Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham in West Africa (ISIS-WA) terrorist groups, where it has deployed as many as 70,000 troops at times and terrorist-related violence has killed an estimated 35-40,000 people, mostly civilians, since 2009; in the northwest, the military faces threats from criminal gangs--locally referred to as bandits--and violence associated with long-standing farmer-herder conflicts, as well as BH and ISIS-WA terrorists; the military also continues to protect the oil industry in the Niger Delta region against militants and criminal activity and since 2021, has deployed troops alongside other security forces to quell renewed agitation in the state of Biafra; maritime security concerns include piracy and the protection of natural resources in the Gulf of Guinea <br><br>the Nigerian military traces its origins to the Nigeria Regiment of the West African Frontier Force (WAFF), a multi-regiment force formed by the British colonial office in 1900 to garrison Great Britain's West African colonies; the WAFF (the honorary title "Royal" was added later) served in both World Wars; in 1956, the Nigeria Regiment of the Royal WAFF was renamed the Nigerian Military Forces (NMF) and in 1958, the colonial government of Nigeria took over control of the NMF from the British War Office; the Nigerian Armed Forces were established following independence in 1960 (2025)

text

National Space Research and Development Agency (NARSDA; established 1999); Defense Space Administration (DSA; established 2014) (2025)

note

<strong>note:</strong> NARSDA originated from the National Centre for Remote Sensing, the National Committee on Space Applications (both established in 1987), and the Directorate of Science (established 1993)

text

has a national space program that focuses on acquiring satellites for agricultural and environmental applications, meteorology, mining and disaster monitoring, security, and socio-economic development; designs, builds (mostly with foreign assistance), and operates satellites; processes overhead imagery data for analysis and sharing; developing additional capabilities in satellite and satellite payload production, including remote sensing technologies; has a sounding rocket program for researching rockets and rocket propulsion, with goal of launching domestically produced satellites into space from a Nigerian spaceport by 2030; works with a variety of foreign space agencies and industries, including those of Algeria, Bangladesh, Belarus, China, Ghana, India, Japan, Kenya, Mongolia, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, the UK, the US, and Vietnam; has a government-owned satellite company and a small commercial aerospace sector (2025)

text

2003 - first remote sensing (RS) microsatellite (NigeriaSat-1) built jointly with the UK and launched by Russia<br><br>2007 - first communications satellite (NigSatCom-1) built and launched by China (failed in orbit, 2008)<br><br>2011 - first domestically built remote sensing (RS) satellite (NigeriaSat-X) launched by Russia<br><br>2019 - inaugurated a geospatial data analysis center<br><br>2022 - signed US-led Artemis Accords for space exploration<br><br>2023 - first military reconnaissance RS satellite (DelSat-1) launched by China

text

Boko Haram; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham – West Africa; Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis-Sudan (Ansaru)

note

<strong>note:</strong> details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in the Terrorism reference guide